1. Field
One or more embodiments relate to a high density multi-view image display system and method with active sub-pixel rendering.
2. Description of the Related Art
To effectively implement a three-dimensional (3D) image, images having viewpoints different from each other may typically need to be respectively viewed by left/right eyes of users. To implement this 3D image without using a filter, e.g., without needing a user to wear filtering glasses to view the 3D image, the 3D image may need to be spatially divided based on the viewpoints, which are referred to as an autostereoscopic display. The viewpoints may represent viewing directions of generated light, from which particular views of the 3D image can be seen, and thus images provided along different viewpoints may be different from each other when viewing the images collectively. Here, for example, a left eye may view a different image from a right eye, as the light projected to each respective eye is from different images projected/viewed along different viewpoints. The collective viewing of the two different images for the same object thereby generates the 3D effect.
Thus, in an autostereoscopic display, a 3D image may be spatially divided using optical mechanisms, and displayed. Here, as an optical mechanism, optical lenses or an optical barrier may be representatively used. As an optical lens, a lenticular lens may be used by which respective pixel images are displayed/viewed only in/from a specific direction. In addition, using the optical barrier, only a specific pixel may be viewed from a specific direction due to a physical slit disposed in a front surface of a display. In a case of the autostereoscopic display using lenses or barriers, separate left and right viewpoint images, that is, two viewpoint images may be basically displayed in different directions, resulting in creation of a sweet spot where the two images converge in space, e.g., at respective left and right eyes. The sweet spot may have a narrow width, and may be expressed using a viewing distance and a viewing angle. Here, the viewing distance may be determined by a pitch of lenses or slits of the barrier, and the viewing angle may be based on a number of expressible viewpoints. In this instance, a scheme of increasing the number of display viewpoints to widen the viewing angle may be referred to as an autostereoscopic multi-view display.
A more widened 3D viewing area may be created using the multi-view display, however, this approach may result in the reduction in resolution of the display. For example, when displaying an image with nine-viewpoints using a panel having a 1920×1080 pixel resolution capable of displaying a full high definition (HD) image, the resolution for respective viewpoint images may actually only be 640×360 due to a reduction in resolution of the expressed image along the select viewpoint by ⅓ in length and width, respectively. This reduction in the resolution of the multi-view display may significantly reduce a 3D image quality, which may distort a 3D effect, causing viewing fatigue. To implement a high quality autostereoscopic display, a 3D image display having fewer limitations in the viewing area and less viewing fatigue may be significantly important, and thus an image having a greater number of viewpoints while maintaining a high-resolution may need to be displayed. However, this may be not easy to realize because the autostereoscopic display, where the two viewpoints are displayed, and the multi-view display have the above described conflicting characteristics.
In addition, the multi-view display may provide a wider viewing angle than that of the autostereoscopic display where the two viewpoints are displayed, however, this may result in the 3D image being viewed without distortion only within a limited viewing angle and at a specific distance. The multi-view display may also not allow the 3D image to be satisfactorily viewed when a user views the display while angling his face or lying at an angle. These viewing limitations may be a significant weak point in comparison with an existing 2D display and thus, as a 3D display, the multi-view display may encounter difficulty in commercialization.